How to: Combine all ingredients. Nuke in microwave for 6-7 minutes. Stir. Enjoy!

Question of the Day

Have you always been health-conscious? If not, what was the "turning point" or "aha moment" for you? Me: Yes and no. Since I was a kid, I have always exercised, but I knew nothing about nutrition and wellness. My turning point was on a ski trip, New Year's Eve 2003. I had gained 15-20 pounds since college, while all of my college friends on the trip had maintained their weight or even lost some. I felt embarrassed and disappointment in myself. I made a change immediately after that weekend for the better. :)

12 Comments:

Theresa
said...

First off, I just wanted to say that you, your attitude, and your blog make me happy =) I was not at all concious of what I ate or how much I ate, and didn't exercise til after college. I was thrilled if I could run one mile. I slowly lost weight because I was busy working, and then got really restrictive and lost about 30-40 pounds. Unfortunately, my restrictiveness backfired (no surprise there!) and I gained that weight back after 3 years. I am slowly working through some mental issues to get back to a weight that I feel better at. My high weight is the same as yours was, and I hope to soon be where you are! Thanks for the inspiration!!

I had never really been health conscious in my life and neither had my family, which is why I managed to end up obese in my 20's, though I'd been overweight most of my life. I picked up a lot of my parents' bad habits and added a few of my own. I had tried a ton of 'diets' which were all insane and helped me lose 10-20 pounds until I quit and then put it back on and then some.

I just got sick and tired of being a blob that sat on the couch every day and I really wasn't enjoying my life at all. My turning point was in January of 2007, a few months before my 25th birthday, when I decided that I was too young to be that unhealthy and unhappy. It took over a year but I've lost a ton of weight and I feel better than I ever have in my life and I'm doing things I never thought I would do. Now I'm almost obsessed with being healthy! It's totally worth it ;-)

Congrats to everyone who lives healthy, you are doing great things for yourself!

I love this: "Congrats to everyone who lives healthy, you are doing great things for yourself!" What a great statement! :)

Anon,

Currently, I am using bulgar from a health food store in my neighborhood. I buy it in bulk from their bins-- kind of like they have at Whole Foods. In the past, I've use the Arrowhead Mills brand. Here's a link to the product: http://www.arrowheadmills.com/products/product.php?prod_id=220&cat_id=. I think you can find the Arrowhead Mills brand at most grocery stores. I usually find it with the oatmeal, oat bran, etc.

I have always exercised, but was never really serious. It wasn't until after I had my 2nd child and went to buy some clothes before I went back to work. I went to a store that I had always shopped at, but they didn't carry the size that I was currently. Made me feel like I need to be at the big and tall store. I got really serious about exercising and eating really healthy. Now I love where I am today. Went from a size 14 to a size 6.

I love the question! Usually I just lurk but I had to come out of hiding for this question.

I was not at all aware of what I ate until I went to University. My mom raised my sister and I to eat healthy but she was always the conscious one for us (I use to eat so many sweets that I would get the comment "If you keep eating the way that you do one day you'll be as big as a table"). When I went to University I lived in residence-which consisted of deep-fried food, I would eat a big bag of chips every day, and was heavily drinking about 4-6 nights a week. Luckily I have good genes so I only gained 15 pounds (I'm 5'11) with all those bad habits. However, it STILL didn't click until I got my own apartment in my third year of Unviersity. I was really active in life (I was bartending part-time) so I wasn't working out still, but I started becoming more aware of what I was eating. This January I started an office job and that's when I buckled down and started exercising. And now I'm so in love with it. I go most days after work and I miss the gym on the days that I don't work out! I still weigh the same as I did during my first year of University (I never lost the 15 pounds) but when people look at old pictures vs. new pictures they tell me (and I see it too) that the entire way my body is shaped has changed. I have muscles now!

For your question,I've never considered myself extremely health-conscious. My mother being a nurse has always been extremely informed on nutrition, and it's all rubbed off on me. I only ever went to McDonalds growing up maybe once a year for a treat. Otherwise I've never been to places such as Burger King or KFC. I've always been more interested in my mothers home cooking. And I'm happy for that! My family has managed to instill very healthy habits in my life with food (we never have junk food or soda in the house for as long as I can remember) and I've been skiing since I was 2, and playing soccer since I was about 6. I now consider myself health-conscious, but it's been instilled in me, so I guess I always have been anyway. =)

I used to be one of those people that taunted her friends for being health concious and would just eat what ever my heart desired and had given up on exercising because being lazy always got in the way. THEN, last January I went to my annual Doctor's appointment where I weighed in at a whopping 149 lbs, I was only 1 pound away from 150 and I literally broke down in tears on the scale. I am only 5'4" and that much weight was not a good thing. Slowly I have been adapting a healthy lifestyle with eating and exercising. Today, I am proud to say that I am 20 lbs lighter and feel so much better about myself. I don't know what I was thinking before.

My turning point was about six or seven years ago. I was about 45 pounds heavier than when I left for college, and it was grilled cheese, tater tots, breakfast sandwiches and beer weight. Visiting a friend, I was changing to go out and he said - "Wow, you've gotten soft".

So I started running, spinning, working out. I altered my diet - no more pizza, bagels, fried anything. Five months later I had dropped 40 pounds!

Now everything comes in moderation and I run, bike and stay active to keep myself healthy.

Good question!I was never overweight, but a few summers back I was going through a lot family wise and didn't really take care of myself. Eating whatever I wanted, hardly exercising.. but after seeing pictures of myself with a few pounds on, I knew I couldnt go on any longer living such an unhealthy life! Now with a balanced daily diet, keeping "cheat meals" to a minimum and exercising on a daily basis, I feel SO much better about myself that I'd never dream about going back to my old ways!

Welcome back, bulgar!! :0) Looks like it made a delicious breakfast this morning.

My turning point was when my lactose-intolerance and Crohn's Disease really started to affect me, about 14 years ago - I truly found out (and learned over the years) that diet plays a HUGE role in one's well-being.

In high school I played sports but ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was never the skinny girl, but I didn't feel overweight. While I still exercised in college, the booze and french fry bar constantly called my name, and I easily gained 30 pounds in three years. Senior year of college I broke up with a boyfriend and lost a ton of weight very unhealithy, and gained it back.

It wasn't until Jan. 2008 that I changed my attitude toward healthy living. It's about balance. It's balance with exercise, food, and living!

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Just a reminder: I'm not a Registered Dietitian (RD). For specific medical counseling, please contact a RD or your doctor. My blog posts are based on my own personal knowledge, experience, and opinions.

“Vegetables are a must in a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”